After watching such movies as Jnhanasundhari and Kannum Karalum, directed by the great Sethu Madhavan, I could not miss Susheela. The premise was very interesting, and the film is quite good, but not as good as expected.
Generally a watchable movie telling the story of hope and struggle, Susheela was a rather experimental film at the time, and the one who fearlessly invested his money in this project was none other than the great N.S Krishnan's brother N.S Dravyam. This is actually one of the least famous films he produced. The film's title itself, which is more of a name, made me go and watch it. Though it is definitely worth the watch, it's not flawless. I liked the beginning a lot, and I found the portrayal of the family and the couple very convincing and moving. This portion of the film shows how people, despite financial difficulties and hardships, were happy with what they had. Unfortunately the death of the female heroine happens too soon and it's a sad view, and the following proceedings only add to the tragedy.
The film's songs are lovely, but they are so many that at times they just drag the narrative. The director does try to portray the story realistically, but at times the film gets a bit melodramatic and the main conflicts as well as the villains make it look more of a fairy tale. As far as acting is concerned, the film's main protagonist is Sathyan, and he does reasonably well but never well enough. The supporting child actors do much better, for what it's worth. Prem Nazir does very well in his role, while Miss Kumari is excellent in her title role appearance. Kottarakkara makes for an ordinary villain. The film's ending is very sugarcoated and is easy to predict. I thought the movie would have worked better as a family movie, but it was far too serious. Susheela may not be a great film, but it has a good concept and it is an altogether appreciable effort.
